


The Spring Flowers Sleep as We Meet in the Night.

by dogtit



Category: Touhou Project
Genre: F/F, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-06
Updated: 2015-02-06
Packaged: 2018-03-10 18:00:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,003
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3298910
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dogtit/pseuds/dogtit
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>If I meet my love, and we part; we'll meet again, like we did before.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Spring Flowers Sleep as We Meet in the Night.

  
It was spring when Reimu died.

The passing was a silent affair. Yukari remembered it quite well (as she did all others).

They had been having tea. Yukari, eternally young and wise on the left; the shriveled, fragile form of the priestess on the right. There had been idle chatter, pointless small talk and obligatory observations of the perfect weather.

“So, spring's finally here.”

“That it is.”

“Did Lily cause too much trouble?”

“No, no, I had Ran look into it.”

“Hm.”

“You would have done a better job of it, though.”

“Well of course I would have. I do everything around here.”

(If Yukari had known that it would have been the last time she would speak to the human, she would have made it count. Would have made it _mattered_.)

Finally, Reimu set aside the tea and stood to her feet.

“Well,” the woman had sighed, rolling her creaking shoulders, “I suppose it's that time.”

And she walked off, out of sight. It was a long time before Yukari realized that Reimu had departed into the Outside World—or perhaps she'd become apart of the barrier she had once guarded so much. There was never a body to collect, so it forever remained a mystery.

(That day, Marisa tipped the brim her hat to cover her eyes and pursed her cracked lips. High up in the mountains, Sanae stopped sweeping and collapsed into a fit of tears. In the corridors of the Scarlet Devil Mansion, Sakuya noticed that one of the clocks had stopped ticking and felt like screaming.)

It seemed like all of Gensokyo knew that Reimu had died, because scores of people came to visit the shrine in the days that followed. The tengu reporter, the ice fairies, the vampires and gods and everyone else who had felt the sting of her danmaku came to pay respects and to literally pay up.

Every one of them placed a single coin in that dusty donation box and bowed their heads. It was an odd funeral, but a funeral nonetheless.

Many questions were asked about the barrier. Yukari smiled and waved them off with a gentle laugh.

Of course there was someone there to take Reimu's place—another girl who bore the surname of Hakurei. Not Reimu's exact heir, per say, as the priestess had never had children. But someone close enough; someone Yukari had personally sought out and...groomed, long before Reimu had obtained her first gray hair.

Yukari was anything if not prepared.

In all qualities, the new Hakurei was perfect; she toted the same power as Reimu, had the same eyes as Reimu. Perhaps she was a little nicer than Reimu, but a few years solving one incident after another would toughen her up, Yukari supposed.

This cycle was beginning to wear thin. Winter was now more of a blessing than before; sleep made a rowdy conscious quiet.

“Lady Yukari,” Ran said one day, Chen curled up and asleep among her tails, “when will you be departing?”

The gap youkai simply hummed. “Soon. When you're ready to take on my duties.”

“Don't I already,” Ran teased. But she knew that there was more to maintaining the barrier than simply putting up seals.

“I'm glad,” she said after a lengthy silence, “that you'll be staying a bit longer.”

“My dear, you shouldn't be so worried. Nor should you be doubtful of your abilities,” Yukari placed the top of her fan to her lips thoughtfully. “You are my shikigami, after all.”

Ran smiled. “And it has, and will continue to be, the greatest of honors.”

Summer passed, and then autumn. Yukari slept through the winter, and when spring came again, she left.

Ran met her at the door.

“Have a safe trip,” the fox murmured, bowing her head. Her hair looked silver in the moonlight, Yukari noticed. She smiled.

“Let's meet again someday, my dear Ran. Perhaps over tea?”

“I'd like that very much.”

The door was opened and Yukari stepped out into the night. The grass and the soil was still warm from the sun. The flowers had curled up for the night. For once, Gensokyo didn't feel so terribly lonely; and Yukari was surprised to find that she had been lonely at all.

When she was far enough out to where the barrier shimmered and rippled in place, she removed her cap and set it aside.

In the waves of power and magic, Reimu's familiar, youthful image flickered like the flame of a candle. Yukari imagined a scowl forming on her face and couldn't suppress the smile that spread over her own.

“You're coming to bother me?” the priestess sighed. “And here I'd thought I'd finally gotten away from you, stupid gap-hag.”

“Reimu, bothering you is my favorite thing to do. I'll never tire of it.”

“I figured,” Reimu said with a laugh. She reached out and Yukari took the hand that was offered. A tingling sensation ran up her arm and throughout her body; when she closed her eyes she saw a white light. There was the oddest feeling of coming apart and sliding into place.

It felt like home.

–

Ran Yakumo watched the meteor shower from the porch, arms folded in the sleeves of her robes. Chen grabbed onto her arm and mewled softly in distress when she saw the older shikigami's cheeks wet with tears.

“Ran-sama? What's wrong? Why are you crying?”

“I'm not sure,” Ran replied.

“Lady Yukari's gone, isn't she?”

“In a sense.” When Chen pouted at the vague answer, Ran continued, “She's just gone on her way. You know how Lady Yukari is.”

“Oh.” Chen looked down. “Is she coming back?”

“...Perhaps.”

The girl leaned against Ran's arm, pressing her face against the soft cotton. It grew damp with tears, and in a heartbeat Chen was curled against her chest, sobbing as quietly as she could.

(That night, Yuyuko felt a stirring in the empty cage of her chest. She hid her smile in her tea and wished Yukari a fond farewell.)

**Author's Note:**

> title and summary are actually lyrics from the song four seasons by namie amuro !! ayup


End file.
